Citygarden, a new art and sculpture park in downtown St. Louis, opens its doors (or better yet, tears down the construction fences) for the first time. Having lived most of my entire life in St. Louis — that’s if you include the years in Florida — this is a much-needed progressive step for a downtown that has seen its share of ups and downs over the years. Hopefully this new sculpture park, which features a layout similar to the region’s topography and includes local materials and native plants, will energize an area that sometimes seemingly heads in a downward fate.
I tend to think that video was the right choice for this subject since I could use repetitive movements of the park’s water features and moving sculptures to carry the natural sound transitions, and having the chief architect talk about the park’s impact added some good insight and information. There were times while shooting this piece that I yearned for the still camera, especially when you look at how the art interacts with people. I’ll save those opportunities for later when the light is nicer. That’s the trouble with daily newspaper assignments carved around the schedules of multiple photographers. Sometimes you just have to shoot it when the light is at its worst.
“For more than two years, Tobey Miller hasn’t been able to read her baby bedtime stories and kiss him good night. The only home he has ever known has been a room at Cardinal Glennon Children’s Medical Center, more than two hours away from her.
A rare kidney disease — autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease — had left Kyle McCarty, 3, attached to tubes and needing constant medical care. But two months ago, Kyle got his long-awaited kidney transplant. Later this week, he is finally expected to begin his journey home.”
Post staff writer Michele Munz wrote a heartwarming story about a young boy finally heading home after practically living in the hospital his entire life. Written with a good weave of fact and emotion, it’s a great example of strong storytelling in our own backyards. Read the rest of the story here and browse through a few more photographs here.
Summer has definitely arrived in St. Louis, and it doesn’t take a sideways glance at the thermometer to realize it’s smoking hot. You could say the sugar cane fields of Belle Glade in Florida were hotter, but at the confluence of two rivers and a focal point of humidity, St. Louis is definitely sweltering. That’s one of the reasons I steered the summer mens’ fashion shoot for the Post-Dispatch into interior locations of the Four Seasons hotel, with the exception of a few necessary outdoor sets. Above, Christian models a Hugo Boss suit set against an amazing tile wall that reminds one of a subway metro station. Assistant and fellow staffer Chris Lee — of whom this shoot would have been impossible if not for his help — made the strip light positioning an easy task. The tilt gives it an edgy feel, and Christian’s look is mysterious and complex.
The trio shot works thanks to the men posing under some pretty bright and sweaty conditions. We used multiple Alien Bee and Calumet strobes to focus the light and keep the background dark. The reflection off the Four Seasons exterior windows contrasts nicely against the sky. The building lines seem to help the overall graphic feel of the image. Ted (center), Matt (left) and Christian (right) kept going despite the hot clothes and even hotter weather. While this set didn’t allow much time for shooting due to the temperature, there’s something about the break between building and sky along with the cascading set of looks that does it for me when looking at the relatively short raw take.
Vincent models some hot-weather-wear out of a cabana on the terrace of the Four Seasons. We used an Alien Bee B800 mounted with a Beauty Dish low to the right and a Calumet strobe on the far right rear to fire into the canvas cabana cover. I wanted a slightly overexposed look with some medium shadows — you could say hot white light, but then it would be a disgrace to Alex Webb’s Hot Light/Half-Made Worlds book, where the hot light is anything but white. Speaking of which, I hope Alex hoarded as much Kodachrome as he could before Kodak pulled the plug on production early Monday. There isn’t a replacement for that film’s color or historical value, and nothing Canon or Nikon develops will live up to that same look. It truly is a sad day in photographic history.
Anyway, there’s more at the Post’s site including the full gallery — these three images are favorites from the shoot. On Wednesday, we’re shooting a womens’ fashion shoot at the Ritz-Carlton in St. Louis, so please consider coming back for those photographs, which hopefully will be up by July 4.
Friends, I’m taking the blog down for maintenance and some coding work. I’ll check back in a few hours. update: I’m also messing around with themes, so pardon the mess.
They say to improve your skills you have to push yourself outside of the comfort zone. It becomes even more demanding when you’re shooting for shapes on a daily basis formulated from preconceived ideas that are about as visual as blank white walls. I’m outside of my own zone struggling to layer photos better while maintaining a tried-and-true graphic bent. It’s my personal goal to lift my work to the next level and shoot consistently more sophisticated photographs. It’s more or less hit-or-miss right now, but with good critiquing from fellow photographers and good energy and attitude in the field, I’m confident my eyes will improve over time. Let me know what you think and don’t beat around the bush; let me have it. Here are a few recent photos.
Top to bottom: Mizzou football camp for high-school athletes, DeSmet High School, St. Louis, Missouri. Nerve decompression surgery by Dr. Robert Hagan, Mason Ridge Surgery Center, St. Louis, and annual Soap Box Derby in St. Louis. The derby photo would definitely benefit from a hand gripping the vertical sign a la Alex Webb’s “Under a Grudging Sun.”Photographs copyright Erik Lunsford.
Recently I visited a river resort along the Courtois Creek in central Missouri while working on a story about tourism, and as I sidled up to a small beachhead I noticed a man diving from a rock into the clear and cool waters. I stopped and made a quick frame; waited for a second jump, then made a few more frames. Each time I worked closer to the rock, each time analyzing the previous frames and thinking about my next move. Later when I looked through the raw take, this frame jumped off the monitor. It was the first frame, made absent of thought. The mood, the fragile separation between the man’s hands and the water, the subtle tilt in composition to carry the bottom canoe, and the delicate balance of light and dark tones seemed to meet at a confluence of which I can’t seem to recall. It may not be the greatest frame ever — although I tend to produce very quiet pictures — yet it speaks to me, and it’s a great reminder to keep thinking and analyzing down to a minimum while making pictures. Let yourself go and explore with your eye, not your mind.
I was pleased to receive an email from Ben over at The Exposure Project announcing the release of their highly anticipated Issue 4 of The Exposure Project Book. I’ll let Ben fill you in:
“The book is comprised of 45 images from 15 photographers from across the globe. In addition, an essay written by Brian Ulrich will accompany the images. Curated from an open call for entries [ed: which I highlighted last December here], Issue 4 of The Exposure Project Book marks the group’s largest and most diverse publication to date. Compiling images exploring issues as varied as contemporary landscape politics, the domestic experience, social uniformity and the history of occult photography, while highlighting a multitude of stylistic methods from the more traditional to the more conceptual, Issue 4 underscores the vibrant diversity of contemporary photography.”
The book, offered up in both regular and special editions, will be ready for distribution in mid-July. The special edition is hardcover and limited to 25 copies featuring two original prints. The regular edition is softcover and limited to 100 copies. You can pick them up right off The Exposure Project website.
Some particular quality about this photo allures me, and I think it’s the hat - not just because one of my favorite editors, Mark Edelson, noted my fondness for hats - which is true - but also the curvy lines of the tree and the entirety of the frame taking on a slight resemblance to a tilt-shift product. The sharp point of light on the subject’s sunglasses and the slight separation of shirt and arm make it, said Sid Hastings, another favorite (and local) editor. the only question remaining — how does it compare in black & white? I tried several variations using calculations and lab conversions with different results. You’re welcome to try out some conversions and let me know what you think.
Above: St. Louis, Missouri, copyright Erik Lunsford.
The work of editorial photographer Peter Hoffman’s project “Bryan House” has been popping up on the Aphotoaday listserv, and it’s a project worth highlighting here. The use of medium format, blend of documentary and fine art photography, and the subtle use of form and shape gives this project a multi-dimensional feel. Think of the snow-covered table and upended mattress as a fine-art foundation, contrasted nicely against the documentary feel of the building and sweeping lady. The portraiture doesn’t rely on complexity — it allows the subjects to speak directly to the viewer. And from a photographer’s perspective, the overall project shows that Peter approached his subjects with a vigor of inquiry and a thirst for understanding. Good stuff — I wish I could have displayed more. I’ll let Peter tell you a little about the piece in his own words, and when you’re finished please take a moment to see the rest of his project, among other nice works.
The Bryan House is a home for refugees located on the West side of the largest suburb of Chicago, Aurora, Ill.
It was named in honor of the founder’s younger brother, Bryan Guzman, who drowned in Lake Michigan on Dec 9, 2006 while walking his girlfriend’s dog.
Founders Rick and Desiree Guzman have been active in assisting Aurora and other suburban refugees resettle since around 2002, often letting refugees live in their basement while saving up money as opposed to paying for often less than safe public housing, or inadequate apartment complexes.
The Bryan House, which has just reached filled all five units for the first time since its beginning, is a progressive model of refugee assistance. As refugees live in the home, they pay current market value rent to Rick and Desiree, who then invest the money monthly during the duration of the refugee family’s stay. As the family moves out of the home, their rent payments with accrued interest are then returned to the family, in the hopes that they will have enough for a down payment on a home, or a chunk of a child’s college tuition, etc. Families must apply to get a space in the home and demonstrate consistent income generation.
The House has been undergoing renovation since spring 2008 and I have been documenting the home sporadically since then. My goal is to capture the essence of the place and the people who occupy it, their adjustment to a new life, their transition, and the strong sense of purpose that each person holds, and that the house holds as a unit. It is not a linear story but rather an essay that is much a personal emotional response to this fascinating place as it is anything else. As families move in and out every year or so I intend to document the new living space, at this point, this project is very much in the beginning phases.
Above: Bryan House, photography by Peter Hoffman, used with permission.
